Each winter gives way to spring, to hope eternal, to new movies and TV shows to watch while ignoring the fresh flowers and summer breezes and changing foliage of the unforgiving outdoors. And looking at the upcoming season's release schedule, there’s no reason to think that 2017 won’t deliver wonders for our eyes and ears. From old favorites (HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” Universal’s “The Fate of the Furious”) to shiny new confections (Jordan Peele’s “Get Out,” the CW’s “Riverdale”), the year to come does what all new years do: dangle promise before us, daring us to reach for it.

Here are the movies and television shows that the L.A. Times’ Calendar staff are most excited to see in 2017. We don’t know if any of them will be any good, but we can’t wait to find out.

(Reminder: Release and premiere dates subject to change.)

TV

Premieres Feb. 23

'Sun Records,' CMT

The story of the “Million Dollar Quartet” — the nickname given to the formidable foursome of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins — has been told in both book and musical form. Now the tale is coming to TV via CMT and an eight-episode series that traces the rise of the famed label of the title, its genius producer Sam Phillips and the four disparate, but complementary musicians

“Sun Records,” executive produced by Leslie Greif and Gil Grant, is based on the Tony-winning musical “Million Dollar Quartet” and arrives shortly after the 60th anniversary of the legendary one-off recording session featuring the four men.

Among those stepping into some very big, and in at least one case blue suede shoes, are Elvis impersonator Drake Milligan as Presley, Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill”) as Phillips, Billy Gardell (“Mike & Molly”) as famed Presley manager Colonel Tom Parker, Kevin Fonteyne (“Masters of Sex”) as Cash, British actor Christian Lees as Lewis and Dustin Ingram as Perkins.

Set in Memphis against the backdrop of the changing political and social climate and racial tensions, the series’ main focus is Phillips and the early days of rock ’n’ roll and R&B and the country and blues music with which those genres intersected. Among the other famous names woven into the story are Ike Turner, Jimmy Swaggart, Eddy Arnold and Hank Snow.